The Love of Flowers
by Schwarzwind
Summary: A collection of SakuraIno fics. I will rate each chapter accordingly.  Yuri, shoujoai, explicit content, language, suggestive themes, fluff, character deaths, general sadness. [IN PROGESS]
1. Introduction

**//AUTHORS NOTE//**

**Make sure that you check back to the Introduction every now and then because I will update the list whenever I need to.**

**The chapters are now in the order they will most likely be posted in.**

**Introduction**

**The following stories are either complete or are near completion. I know that the collection is rated "M", but I will rate the stories in their chapters accordingly.**

**--**

"**One little kiss"  
****Rating: _K-T_  
****Summary: _What's one little kiss?_  
****Warnings: _shoujoai (nothing graphic), kissing, AU_  
****Status:_ complete_**

**--**

"**Everything will be Alright"  
****Rating: _K-T  
_****Pairing: _Sakura/Ino, onesided Naruto/Sakura_  
****Summary: _Death may come. But it cannot separate those who are meant to be_.  
****Warnings: _Character death(s), shoujoai (nothing graphic), general sadness.  
_****Status: _complete_**

**--**

"**Sakura"  
****Rating: _M  
_****Summary: _Ino has a secret. But it won't stay a secret for long._  
****Warnings: _Yuri, explicit content, masturbation(female), could be considered AU  
_****Status: _complete_**

**--**

**"I'm Sorry"  
Rating: _T_  
****Summary: _After returning home from a mission, Ino is a bit grouchy and takes it out on Sakura. Sakura contemplates their relationship_.  
****Warnings: _grouchy Ino, shoujoai, language_  
****Status: 2_/5 complete_**

_--_

**Chirstmas  
Rating: ****_T-M  
_Pairing: _Sakura/Ino_  
Summary: ****_After a series of tragedies around Christmas, Ino falls into a depression. Can Sakura perhaps save her?  
_Warning:****_ shoujoai, mentioned suicide, possible language, alcohol, implied sex  
_Status:_ complete_**

_--_

**This is what I have so far, but I feel I must warn you, if I find any of my ideas posted by another author, I will make sure that your profile is deleted. **

**Thank you.**


	2. One Little Kiss

"**One little kiss"  
Rating: **_**K-T**_**  
Summary: **_**What's one little kiss?**_**  
Warnings: **_**shoujoai (nothing graphic), kissing, language**_**  
**

**AUTHORS NOTE**

**Okay, the first ficlet in my collection. This one is kinda short, but I'm very close to finishing the next one and it should be up very soon. Also, this is off topic, I make a habit of suggesting good music videos in my chapters that I post. This chapter I'm going to recommend : "Fixation on Plastics" by The Red Chord. These guys are very heavy metal, but the song is about how we are killing the Earth with landfills and stuff like that. Anyway, I digress, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!**

---

Ino had known for a while that she was gay. So when she found herself staring at her friend and roommate Sakura, she wasn't really surprised.

Sakura knew that Ino was gay and was okay with it, but still, she couldn't help but feel that Ino was casting hidden glances at her when she had her back turned from time to time.

"So, who is he?" Ino asked one night before climbing into bed. She and Sakura shared the same room in their small three room apartment(bedroom, bathroom, livingroom). Their beds were pushed up against the same wall, but separated by a small night stand.

"Mmm...who's who?" Sakura asked from her bed, looking up from her book.

"Whoever it is you're crushing after." Ino said plopping down on the edge of Sakuras bed. "Don't deny it either. Every night, you come home awfully chipper, especially after working all day in a bloody emergency room."

"Why do you want to know so bad?" Sakura asked raising an eyebrow.

"Just curious, that's all." Ino said, turning to sit so that she was facing Sakura. "So, is it one of the doctors? A hot new intern? Or a patient, do those amputees turn ya on?"

Seeing that Ino wasn't going to be distracted from her line of questioning, Sakura sighed, marked her place in her book, and set it aside.

"There's no one. I think you're just imagining things."

Ino just shook her head and smiled.

"Nuh-uh. You already asked why I wanted to know so badly in response to me asking who it is. So there must be someone, Ha!" Ino punched the air triumphantly. Sakura fumed silently.

"Okay," Sakura said grudgingly, "There is someone. I just don't want to talk about it."

"Why? Just 'cause I'm gay you don't think I'd find it interesting?" Ino asked. "I would, I care about you, I don't want you to end up with some dude that turns out to be a huge dick." Sakura shook her head.

"No, it's not that. I just that I kinda wanna keep it a secret." Sakura said weakly. Ino sulked for a moment, but her pouty lips were quickly replaced with a grin.

"Okay, I'll make ya a deal." Ino said, scooting closer so that she was sitting next to Sakura. "I'll quit bugging you about this on one condition."

"The condition being...?" Sakura asked, her head tilted to the side, looking a little wary. If it was possible to look happy and evil at the same time, Ino pulled it off.

"I will leave you alone if you pucker up and lay one on me." Ino said deviously.

Sakura gaped. "W-w-what?"

"You heard me babe, I'll stop buggin' ya for a kiss. Simple as that"

"Wha-I-well-why-" Sakura stumbled, trying to form several sentences all at once. Ino smiled and chuckled. She crawled over Sakura so that she was straddling her lap.

"C'mon Sakura. All it takes is a kiss, or to tell me, to shut me up. But don't deny me both. That'd be cruel." Ino pleaded, resting her hands on Sakuras shoulders.

Sakuras lips continued to move, but no sound came out. Ino slowly started to lean forward. Sakura hadn't tried to stop her or protest, so Ino continued on.

Sakura attempted to back up when Inos lips came within an inch of her own, only to back into the wall. Ino noticed this and stopped, but didn't draw back. She reached her hands up and caressed Sakuras cheeks with her thumbs.

"You know you don't have to kiss me, just tell me who." Ino was threading her fingers through Sakuras hair. Sakura didn't respond, but her eyes were riveted on Inos lips, which earned her a small smile from Ino.

Sakura shivered, she didn't know what she wanted, to tell her or to kiss her. Ino noticed the shiver and quietly whispered,

"Relax. It's just one...little...kiss..." Ino was so close now, backing out was no longer an option for either of them. Ino closed the distance between them and met Sakuras lips softly with her own. The knee-jerk reaction of Sakuras body was to push Ino off. But after a few seconds, she decided it wasn't so bad, Inos lips were warm and soft, and Sakura loved how she was sliding her fingers through her hair.

It dawned on Sakura a moment later.

She was kissing Ino back. At first it felt foreign and strange, but she eventually leaned into the kiss, contributing her own part. Hesitantly, Sakura placed her arms around Inos waist. Ino smiled inwardly and scooted closer, blushing slightly as their chests brushed together. Just as quickly as it had started, the kiss had ended.

"You're a good kisser." Sakura said as Ino drew back. Ino gave a small giggle.

"So are you." Ino smiled, patting Sakura on the cheek. "Whoever this guy is, I hope he deserves you. Oh, and I don't mean to weird you out or anything but, if you were gay, I'd have defiantly tried to take that further."

Climbing off of a furiously blushing Sakura, Ino crawled into her own bed, leaving Sakura awake to think.

---

True to her word, Ino didn't speak of Sakuras crush again.

--

One week later, Ino was napping in her bed. She awoke and rolled over to see Sakura lying next to her. Without further ado, Sakura leaned in and locked lips with Ino again. When asked why, all she said was,

"Your kisses are better than his were."

Ino could do nothing but grin dopily.

---

**Well, the first fic in the collection is finally complete. The next one to be posted will be "Everything will be alright."**

**Keep your eyes open later this week for the next fic.**

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!**


	3. Everything will be Alright

Title: Everything Will Be Alright

Rating: T. Just to be safe.

Summary: Death may come, but it cannot separate true loves forever.

WARNINGS: yuri, character death(s), general sadness.

**//Authors Notes//**

**Well, this chapter was up sooner than I had expected, about a week earlier than I had originally expected. Also, you should check back to the introduction every now and then, because I post updates to the stories I have on the list. Whatever, be happy. This chapters video is "Black and White" - Static X.**

**Just to let you know, everything will be alright.**

---

It was Shikamaru that delivered the news.

Sakura immediately knew something horrible had happened when he showed up on her doorstep in tears. Shika never cried. After ushering him in and calming him, Sakura was able to get a straight sentence out of him.

"They're dead, Sakura." He sobbed. "Ino and Choji, they're both dead!"

Sakura was unwilling to believe him. She raged and stormed at him for pulling such a cruel joke, then he showed her.

First, Chojis headband.

Sakura knew it was Chojis because there was a mustard stain on the beautiful navy blue cloth. But now, it was stained with blood.

Second, and most devastating of all, Inos torn and bloodied shirt. The lovely lavender fabric was torn, slashed, and covered in dirt.

Sakura ripped the shirt from his hands and stared at it horrified. She sank to her knees with a sob. She fell forward on to the floor, clinging to Inos shirt as if her life depended on it, and let loose a howl of anguish and sorrow.

_I never got to tell her that I loved her_ Sakura thought sadly.

---

Shikamaru delivered the eulogy at the funeral. But he was escorted away from the podium barely halfway thought by Asuma, because he was sobbing so uncontrollably.

As everyone filed past the coffins to pay their last respects, Sakura couldn't help but reach out and clasp Inos cold hand in her own. She looked beautiful, even in death. Her pale face was framed by a halo of wild golden hair that pooled beneath her head.

"I'll miss you, Pig." Sakura whispered, tears filling her eyes. Her shoulders trembled as she stifled a sob.

She watched sadly as the coffins closed, forever sealing their occupants inside. Members of the Yamanaka and Akamichi clans came forth as pole bearers to deliver the caskets to their final resting place outside in the cemetery.

The weather was at odds with the somber occasion. The sun was shining brightly, with not a cloud in the sky. Sakura had prayed for rain, anything to mask her tears, but she was not so lucky. Kakashi and Naruto stood to either side of her. Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

The Akamichi and Yamanaka family plots were located next to each other, and when that terrible day arrived, the Nara family plot would be there with them.

A team in this life and the next.

---

Ino awoke in a place that was familiar, yet strange. She was in Sakuras room, that was the familiar part. But what was strange about it was that she was looking down on the room because she was floating near the ceiling.

She then realize that she wasn't alone in the room. Sakura was sitting on the edge of her bed holding...something close to her chest. Ino willed her semi-transparent body down away from the ceiling and towards the bed. Ino alighted silently on the carpet and took a closer look at Sakura. Her usually pretty face was streaked with tears and her verdant eyes were red. At this close proximity, Ino recognized what Sakura was cradling in her arms. It was Inos still torn and blood-stained shirt, but that wasn't all. Wrapped up in the shirt like a new born baby was a small, stuffed rabbit.

Memories came flooding back to Ino, she recalled buying that stuffed rabbit for Sakura on her eighth birthday with her own saved up pocket money. Usa-chan was what Sakura had called it, Little Rabbit.

Suddenly, Sakuras tears redoubled. She rocked back and forth, holding Usa-chan closer.

"Why Ino?" Sakura whispered to herself. "Why did you leave me, Ino?" Ino felt her stomach vanish and her heart soar.

"_She really did love me._"

Ino had always had suspicions, ever since Sakura so willingly kissed her when dared by TenTen. Ever since that moment, Ino never wanted to leave Sakura. When ever Ino would sleep over, they would often share Sakuras bed, it was wide enough to allow them both plenty of room. However, when Ino was certain that Sakura was in a deep sleep, she would curl up next to her and carefully wrap her arms around the other girl. Those moments usually occurred late at night or early in the morning before everyone else was awake.

Ino loved those unspoken moments of silent and one-sided intimacy. To lie so close to Sakura and pretend, for a moment, that it was okay to gently run her hands up and down the pink haired girls body. These times were never longer than a few moments, but to Ino they felt like hours.

Now, as Ino stood before the weeping Sakura, she wanted to do that again, but to comfort her.

Automatically, without thinking, Ino reached out a hand to brush Sakuras tears away, only to feel sadness as her hand passed right through her.

This still had the desired effect however.

Sakuras tears ceased and she looked around with watery green eyes. She wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand, still holding onto Usa-chan. She stood and crossed the room to the window and looked out and up at the dark, night time sky. Ino followed her and heard Sakura murmuring to herself.

"Ino, wherever you are, I hope you can hear me when I say this but..." She paused and looked down at Usa-chan and began speaking directly to it. "...I loved you. As more than just a friend. I...I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I wanted to grow old with you. I wanted to laugh and cry with you."

Sakura was crying again, her tears falling thick and fast. Ino wanted to cry, but was unable. Perhaps that was one of the limitations of her new ghostly image. That was probably why she could no longer hear her own heart or feel the need to breathe.

Ino walked up behind Sakura and, as best she could, wrapped her arms around her and rested her head on Sakuras shoulder.

"Please, Sakura, don't cry. Please, stop crying." Ino whispered.

"_She has to know. I've got to tell her, somehow."_ Ino thought desperately. She cast her eyes about the room and they fell upon a pen on the bed side table. After a failed attempt to pick it up, Ino almost gave up.

"No. I'll do it for her. For Sakura." Ino told herself firmly. She focused every synapse in her mind and every cell in her body into picking up that pen. She was rewarded when she grasped the firm plastic. There was a notebook beneath the pen. Ino wrote directly on the cover, hoping Sakura would see it.

As she completed the final pen stroke, Ino felt an odd feeling in her abdomen. It tingled faintly at first, but then it turned into a powerful wrenching that caused her to double over.

"Not yet." Ino hissed through clenched teeth. She turned to Sakura and hobbled towards her. The wrenching became worse, actually lifting her off of her feet. She was almost there, she stretched out a hand, her fingers inches away from Sakuras back. One last wrench sent Ino spiraling through the ceiling.

**SAKURA**

Sakura spun around and Ino was able to catch one last glimpse of her face. Her eye lashes glittered with tears.

Sakura stared up at her ceiling. She could have sworn she had heard Inos voice, calling out to her. That night she fell asleep with Usa-chan in her arms(the first time in years) and the memory of Inos voice in her head.

---

Sakura awoke the next morning to find Inos note. She sat on the edge of her bed and read it silently with growing amazement.

_Sakura_

_I'm going to miss you. Your smile most of all, you could brighten my day by just smiling at me. I might not be here anymore, but I still want you to smile, maybe you'll brighten someone elses life. I was here with you, I heard you say those things. My only regret in death, is that I wasn't brave enough to tell you how I really felt about you._

_I want you to know, I will wait for you. Promise me you won't do anything stupid. You need to live life to its fullest._

_I love you, Sakura Haruno, with all my heart. I'll see you at the end of this world and the start of the next. Everything will be alright._

_Love, Ino_

Sakura cried again.

---

Barely four years later, Sakura never would have guessed she'd be dying at the young age of eighteen. She had ended up on the receiving(and more deadly) end of Sasukes Chidori, punching straight through her stomach. He fled via Amaterasu when Naruto and Kakashi arrived. They knelt down on either side of her to see her off to the next life, knowing there was no chance of saving her.

"Please, don't die Sakura." Naruto sobbed, clasping her hand in both of his. "You can't die." Kakashi was holding her other hand, his head hung in sorrow. Sakura remained silent and just stared at the sky. In all truthfulness, Sakura was eager.

She waited so long to see her again.

Slowly, she felt her spirt begin to leave her body. It reminder her of peeling off a glove. One finger and one limb at a time. Finally, she was free, slowly beginning her ascent. She didn't have to look back to hear Narutos wail of sadness. Sakura floated upward towards the azure sky, past clouds, and into the darkness of space. Stars, planets, and galaxies reflected in her eyes as they flashed by.

At the end of the universe, she stopped in front of a large, golden gate that gave off a radiating warmth and shimmered brightly. The gates parted and a blinding, white light spilled out from within. There was someone there in the light, someone with long, blonde hair and aquamarine eyes. Sakura moved forward to greet her, there was no rush, they had all the time in the world. Sakura wrapped her arms around her. Ino returned the hug.

"See forehead, I told you everything would be alright." She said. Ino tilted Sakuras chin up and lightly pressed their lips together for the first time.

Taking Sakuras hand in her own, Ino turned and led Sakura away, to share eternity with her.

---

**Wow, I cried while writing this, but I'm a big softie. Well, it kinda jumped around there a bit, but I thought it was okay. The next chapter, "Sakura" will be posted soon, I'm almost finished writing it. Review are appreciated!! **


	4. Sakura

"Sakura"

Rating: M

Summary: Ino has a secret, but it won't stay that way for long.

Warnings: Yuri, explicit content, masturbation(female), oral

**//AUTHORS NOTES//**

**Okay, everyone, sorry about the long wait between updates. I've recently lost the motivation to write because I just got a couple new games for my Xbox and I've been taking some time off to do a bit of street racing. But, that's a different story. This story is pretty much just smut, with maybe a little teensy, tiny, bit of plot. And usually, you almost always see Ino as the dominant one, so there's a bit of a change in this chapter. The next good metal song: "Colony of Birchmen" by Mastodon. ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!**

---

Ino had a secret.

Sakura didn't know that whenever Ino would sleep over, Ino would quietly lay in bed next to her and masturbate. Sakura didn't know that when Ino reached her climax, she would give a tiny moan in which there was a breathily whispered,

"Sakura"

Ino had been harboring feelings for Sakura for some time now, ever since she was young. She had no idea what a lesbian was back then, but she knew enough to know it was wrong to be attracted to Sakura. It was those big green eyes that drew her in. Those big green eyes that held all of the kindness in the world. Of course, when Ino had met her, Sakura had been crying and her eyes were red and puffy, but Ino could tell that there was a wonderful person behind those tears. Ino wanted to hold that cute girl and kiss that "oh-so-kissable" forehead.

Years later, Ino still felt that way. She always felt that way whenever Sakura was near, but lying back to back with Sakura in her bed drew her mind toward certain thoughts. She tried to control her urges, but was unable to keep herself from her fantasy.

_Sakuras feathery pink hair brushed across Inos face, tickling her nose, as she leaned down to kiss her tenderly on the lips. A kiss so absolutely perfect, it brought tears to Inos eyes when it ended. Sakura delicately brushed the tears away with her fingers._

"_Your kisses are how I always imagined." Ino said cupping Sakura cheek with her hand._

"_Oh, how so?" Sakura asked, a knowing smile on her face._

"_They're warm, and soft, and gentle..." Ino trailed off, looking up at Sakura through half shut eyes._

"_Only the best for you," Sakura leaned down, her lips the barest centimeters from Inos, and whispered, "my angel." She kissed Ino again, deeper, her tongue plunging into Inos mouth. Sakuras hands traveled across the blondes body, coming to rest on her breasts. She flexed her fingers, giving Inos perfectly shaped chest a squeeze. Ino groaned around Sakuras tongue and whined when Sakura pulled away. Sakura shifted so that she was settled on Inos thighs, her hands still on Inos chest. She squeezed again._

"_Don't tease me." Ino moaned, brushing her hands up and down Sakuras sides. Sakura smirked._

"_Now why would I do that?" She squeezed, harder, thumbing Inos nipples through her shirt._

"_Ah, Sakura!" Ino half-yelled, her back arching. Painfully slow, Sakura unbuttoned Inos shirt, exposing Inos chest to the somewhat cool air of Sakuras bedroom, making her nipples hard. Sakura leaned down and planted a trail of kisses all over Inos left breast._

"_These are mine." Sakura whispered moving to the other. "They're both mine." Sakura trailed her tongue around and over Inos nipple before taking it into her mouth. Ino squirmed beneath Sakura, lacing her fingers through Sakuras short pink hair as that sensitive little nub of flesh was rolled between pink lips and scraped by white teeth._

"_Saku..." Ino whispered. The breathy, near pleading, quality of her voice plainly gave away what she wanted. However, Sakura remained deliberately ignorant to her wants, and continued her ministrations on the other breast, suckling and licking gently at the nipple, leaving it shiny with saliva._

"_You know what I want, Saku. Why do you deny me?" Ino asked, breathing shallow and labored. Sakura detached from Inos breast with a hard suck to the nipple that made Ino arch her back again._ _Sakura crawled up so that she could be face to face with her lover._

"_Hm..Why do I?" Sakura chuckled. Her fingers were circling teasingly around Inos navel and the waistband of her pants making Ino writhe._

"_P-please..." Ino whispered, desperate with need._

"_Please what?" Sakura brought her lips to Inos neck and kissed along her throat, collar bone, and jaw line._

"_Please...touch me, Saku. Please."_

_Sakura pulled away and looked into Inos aquamarine eyes, a small smile lifted the corners of her mouth._

"_Of course, for you." Sakura said stroking Inos cheek. Her hand slowly slid down Inos body, trailing between her breasts and across her stomach as she again lowered her lips to Inos neck. Ino groaned again as Sakura sucked on the vein in her neck, sending a shiver up and down her spine. Slowly, Sakuras fingers found their way into Inos pants._

"_Oh shit, Saku! Please!" Ino panted. Sakura grinned against Ino neck and cupped the blonde through her panties. Ino felt herself grow wet as Sakura rubbed her in small circles with her palm, the rough fabric of her underwear on her clit almost sending her over the edge. "Ah, faster Sakura! Fuck me!" Ino cried breathlessly. One of her own hands disappeared down her pants, covering Sakuras, pressing harder and faster. Her other hand grabbed a handful of Sakuras hair, pulling her away from her neck so that Ino could kiss her roughly._

_Sakura ripped away, seizing Ino by the wrists, slamming her hands down on either side of Inos head, pinning her._

"_I don't think so," Sakura whispered, her voice deadly quiet, "We're doing this my way." Holding Inos wrists above her head with one hand, Sakura used her free hand to slide Inos pants down her legs and off where they were tossed, unceremoniously, on the floor. Very shortly afterward, Inos sky-blue underwear joined them. Freeing Inos hands, but keeping a firm hand on her stomach, Sakura maneuvered herself down in between Inos legs, her face inches from Inos crotch. With either caring or cruel intentions, Ino couldn't tell which, Sakura inserted her finger just up to the first knuckle, moving it all the way up and down Inos slit. Ino trembled under the touch. A single pearly drop of fluid escaped from within Ino, Sakura caught it on her finger and massaged it into her clit. She tried to raise up and assist Sakura, but was stopped as Sakura lifted both of her legs up over her shoulders, again holding her down with both of her hands. Sakuras fingertip was quickly replaced by a more welcome invader. Sakura ran her tongue all over the outside of Inos pussy, lapping up the thin coat of moisture that had appeared there._

_Tears streaked down Inos cheeks, but not because of any pain or discomfort, but because Sakura was taking so damn long! As if her thoughts had been read, Sakura placed the tip of her tongue against Inos clit, rubbing it hard. More moisture seeped out, only to be greedily lapped up by Sakura as she ran her tongue all along the outer edge of Inos cunt. Sakura plunged her tongue in as far as it would go, licking Ino into madness as her tongue trailed along the inside walls of her vagina. Ino bucked her hips into Sakuras face, shoving her tongue in farther. She could feel an orgasm building, deep within her, she grinded against Sakura tongue. Faster..faster...faster..._

"Faster. I'm almost there...just...a little...more.." Ino felt her body start to seize up as she rubbed her clit like crazy. Her other hand was occupied with her breasts, her hand was up under her shirt, stroking her nipples. She bit her lip and turned her face into her pillow, stifling a moan that surely would have awoken her bed mate. The muscles in her lower body clenched and her eyes rolled in their sockets as an orgasm claimed her. "Sakura." she whispered. She rolled onto her back and pulled her hand from her pants. Her fingers shined with cum, she licked each and every one clean. She looked over at the still sleeping Sakura and quietly asked. "Do you ever moan my name the way I moan yours?" She sighed knowing Sakura wouldn't answer, she rolled back over and fell asleep.

But what Ino didn't know, was that Sakura also had a secret. She was awake...

...and quietly wondering to herself if she'd ever be able to gather up enough courage to tell Ino that she did.

—

**Well? How was it? My first ever posted lemon. Yeah, I do realize that the whole scene was pretty one-sided, but then again, it was INOS FANTASY, she wanted Sakura to do those things for her. **

**As always review are appreciated.**


	5. Christmas

"Christmas"

Rating: T-M

Summary: After a series of tragedies around Christmas time, Ino falls into depression. But maybe a pink haired angel can save her.

WARNINGS: Shoujoai, use of alcohol, mentioned suicide, language, implied sex.

**AUTHORS NOTES**

**Well, it took me awhile, but I finally got this chapter up. Oddly enough, some recent family trouble somehow managed to make me want to finish this chapter, weird no? Sadly, this may be the last update for quite some time, because school is just around the corner and my writing time will be drastically shortened. I believe that's all I have to say, except thank you all who took the time and reviewed and not those of you who just read. And before I forget, here is the next metal song: "10 signs that you should leave" by Emmure. Now let us begin**.

Christmas.

A time of cheer, love, peace...

...and Ino couldn't stand it.

Ino pulled her coat tighter around her slim body and turned the collar up against the wind. It was a good coat. A long black coat that was warm and snugly inside, but Ino didn't like it. Too many bad memories in this coat. It had been a happy coat at one point, but it quickly shifted to a bad one.

It had been an early Christmas gift from Shikamaru. She tried it on as Shika hesitantly explained why it was early. He was leaving Konoha. Apparently, after the whole Chunin Exam fiasco, he and Temari had really hit it off. He was leaving to go live with her in Suna.

Of course Ino was torn up. One of her best friends, who she had known for years, was gone. And then, life threw another rough curve at her. Both of her parents, died. On Christmas Eve, no less. They fell asleep in front of a fire before putting it out. Stray embers set the house ablaze, killing them in their sleep. Ino, who was living on her own at the time, felt like life was fucking with her.

Ino kicked savagely at a small snow drift on the sidewalk, sending pearly flakes flying. She had been stripped of her shinobi rank. She was no longer able to concentrate on missions, so the Ninja Council had no other choice.

The worst part of all of these tragedies, was that they all took place within the same two months. She had thought about ending it all. It would have been so easy to swallow a bottle of sleeping pills or to take a knife to her wrists.

However, inadvertently, Sakura saved her. A couple days after her parents funeral, Ino could do nothing but lay in bed and cry. Sakura came to her home and cleaned and cooked for her. Ino watched her when Sakura wasn't looking. The pink-haired angel. It was so sweet of her to do that, Ino thought, lying in bed. Sakura had bought Ino a teddy bear. It was wearing a little red t-shirt that said I LOVE YOU!, its fuzzy little arms outstretched waiting for a hug. Sakura set it on the bed side table so Ino could always see it. Looking at the little teddy made Ino cry even harder. Not out of grief or sorrow. But because it was so touching, that Sakura cared for her that much.

It was what Sakura did next that made Ino realize that, from the days she met Sakura in the park up to now, she had been hiding her true feelings and emotions. Masking her love for her best friend by chasing after Sasuke with her.

It was one of the few memories that Ino held dear and close to her heart.

- - -

"Ino." Sakura called out to her friend quietly. "Inooo." Sakura was perched on the edge of Inos bed, stroking Inos blonde hair, from the top of her head and down her back. Ino was face down beneath the blankets, her face nuzzled into her pillows.

Sakura could tell Ino wasn't sleeping. The mattress was shaking with her suppressed sobs. Sakura gazed at her friend sadly. She head never seen Ino so torn up before. So many horrible things happening in such a short amount of time to someone who didn't deserve it.

"Ino, c'mon, talk to me." Sakura whispered, seizing one of Inos hands, giving it a squeeze. To her surprise, Ino squeezed back and turned to look at her. Inos eyes were red and her pillow case was tear-stained. Sakura sighed, finally a little bit of progress.

"Ready to talk?" Sakura asked, carefully rubbing the back of Inos fingers with her thumb. Ino shook her head.

"No-" she croaked. She coughed a little and resumed, though her voice still sounded a bit scratchy. "But, I suppose I have to if I want any peace from you." Ino swung her legs off of her mattress and sat next to Sakura.

"Aw, hey, come on now. I'm trying to help you out." Sakura said quietly, a little hurt, and placed her arms around Ino. Ino leaned into the hug, resting her head on Sakuras shoulder, snuffling quietly.

"Am I being punished?" Did I do something wrong to deserve this?" Ino asked tearfully. "Do the gods hate me, am I not loved?" She grabbed fistfuls of Sakuras shirt and sobbed into her shoulder.

Sakura rubbed Inos back in slow, soothing, circles. "That's not true Ino, not true at all." She kissed the top of Inos white-blond head. "If you're not loved by gods, then you're at least loved by me." Ino looked up from Sakuras tear dampened shoulder, unwilling to believe her ears.

"W-what?" Ino asked in a voice barely higher than a whisper. She looked into Sakuras emerald eyes and saw nothing but caring and love. Sakura cupped Inos cheeks with her hands and brushed the tears away.

"You're my friend, Ino. I love you and care about you. I hate seeing you like this." Sakura said, her voice starting to tremble, and pulled Ino into a tight hug. Ino blushed at her proximity to Sakura, she felt her heart beating in perfect harmony with Sakuras.

"_Does Sakura mean love how I mean it?" _Ino asked herself silently. Ino returned the hug, careful about where she placed her arms and keeping her hands from roaming. "You're a good friend Sakura, the absolute best." Ino said. _"No. Don't get your hopes up, Ino. There's no way it could mean the same thing." _But this didn't keep Ino from nuzzling her way into the crook of Sakuras neck and inhaling the other girls sweet scent. After a few moments of silence...

"Ino..."

"Hmm?" Ino asked quietly, surprised to find herself dozing off on Sakuras shoulder.

"You need a shower."

- - -

Ino gave a small smile as she thought of Sakura, but sighed shortly afterward. She had stopped speaking to Sakura, for fear she would accidentally let her secret slip. She had stopped picking up the phone and bought an answering machine. Whenever she would catch a flash of pink or the sparkle of green eyes in the crowd, Ino would quickly duck around the nearest corner and hide, looking back to see a hurt and dejected girl turning and wandering away. Ino made the mistake of making eye contact with her after running away. The pain in Sakuras eyes was unbearable for Ino and she slumped down onto the ground and cried.

It tore Inos heart out to sit and listen to Sakuras voice messages. Usually they were calm and questioning. But at other times, they were tearful and pleading. Ino wanted so bad to tell Sakura, but even if Sakura returned her feelings, same sex relationships were forbidden in Konoha. Eventually the calls stopped coming all together. Ino still caught glimpses of Sakura around the village, but she seemed...different, like all the life had drained out of her. There was no more bright smile on her face, no longer any gleam of cheerfulness in her eyes. She didn't even look around when Ino saw her and this hurt more than when she did look and Ino had to run away.

Ino came to a halt outside the door to her apartment room and fumbled around in her pockets for her keys. She heard the phone ringing inside, but she didn't hurry. The machine would get it. Besides, she had an appointment with some pills and a bottle of vodka to keep. The machine took the call as the door swung open.

_Hey, it's Ino. Obviously I'm not here or else I'd be talking to ya. Leave me a song, little bird._

Ino tossed her coat over the back of a chair and when to rummage through the fridge, pulling out a three-quarters full bottle of Karloff. She grunted in disgust with how chipper she sounded on her machine. She took a precursory swig of vodka and spilled most of that down her shirt when her voice was replaced with her callers.

"Hi, Ino. It's Sakura." came the soft voice from across the wires. "Um, listen, I know it's been a while and we haven't talked in so long...but I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come over on Christmas Eve." Ino collapsed into a nearby chair and listened, mesmerized by Sakuras voice. "You know, it'd be just the us two. Then we could chat or whatever."

Ino was torn: her heart leapt at the chance to be able to see Sakura again, maybe even that smile that could light up a room, but her head said no with a firmly planted foot out of fear. But then, Sakuras voice changed and Inos brain started second-guessing itself. Her voice grew quieter, but more profound.

"And I'll completely understand if you don't want to." Ino could tell there was a barely suppressed sob somewhere in there. "I...I m-miss you, I-Ino. It feels like when we were fighting over Sasuke. Only then, there was a reason for us not talking, but I don't see one now." Sakura sobbed out. Ino fell forward from her seat onto her knees, dropping her vodka, the clear liquid spreading across the ugly, gray carpet. Management was going to raise Hell about it, however, Ino couldn't care less. She just wanted Sakura to stop...

"_Stop what?" _Her brain asked her heart. _"Stop talking? Stop breathing? Stop living?..."_

"Stop crying, Sakura." Ino sobbed from the floor in her fetal position. "Please, stop crying."

"I-I-I don't know what I did to make you hate me, Ino, but I w-want you to know...this is the last time I'll try to call you." Ino clapped a hand over her mouth, she felt sick, her other arm winding tightly around her abdomen.

"If I don't get your call by Christmas...I'll accept that I've done something t-truly horrible and it has cost me your friendship."

"Don't say that, Sakura. Don't say that." Ino moaned over and over again into her knees.

"I-If I don't get the chance to say this face to face to you, I'll say it now." Sakura took a deep, shaking, breath between sobs. "I wish you the best, Ino, even if you don't wish the same for me. Goodbye, I'll always m-miss you, Yamanaka Ino...the friend I lost...for the reason I don't know..."

Ino didn't know how long she laid there after Sakura hung up. All she could think about was forever losing Sakura because of her cowardice. Hours later, Ino shakily picked up her phone and made the call. She chewed her thumbnail nervously as the phone rang...

and rang...

and...

"Hello?" The voice that answered sounded like it belonged to someone who either had a very bad head-cold or had recently been crying.

"Sakura..."

- - -

The next day, Ino stood nervously on Sakuras front step thinking about the call she made the previous day.

- - -

"_Sakura..." There was a gasp from the other end of the line._

"_Ino? I-I-Is it really you?" Ino let go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding, she expected Sakura to be full of anger, not hopeful happiness._

"_Yeah...yeah, it's me forehead." Ino replied, playfully using Sakuras old nickname. Sakura made a small sound that half sounded like a sob, half like a giggle._

"_Oh w-well...I, um, h-how've you been?"_

"_Oh fine." Ino lied. The truth was Ino hadn't been or felt anywhere near "fine" for almost a year now. "Other than feeling ashamed of myself and feeling like an idiot, fine."_

_Sakura remained silent. She didn't have to ask why. Ino decided to break this new silence._

"_Sakura, I don't hate you, I never did."_

"_Then why...were you avoiding me?" Sakura sniffed._

"_For a really stupid reason." Ino said. "It's something we would have to talk about face to face. Do you think you're free on, say, the twenty-fourth?"_

"_W-what? Does...that mean-"_

"_Yeah, forehead, it does, I'm coming over."_

- - -

Ino reached forward and knocked on Sakuras front door. After her talk with Sakura, Ino got directions to Sakuras new home and was surprised to find that it wasn't that far from her apartment. The door was pulled open and there stood Sakura. She was wearing a dark emerald green sweater and jeans, her hair was pulled up into a bun with a few stray wisps of hair escaping. Ino felt quite unworthy to be standing in her presence. She had her hair up in her trademark ponytail and was wearing a sweater of similar make, only it was dark blue and much, much older and worn looking.

"Ino!" Sakura exclaimed brightly." Come in, come in." Sakura ushered her inside to a warm and cozy entrance way and closed the door behind her. Ino noted the lovely, dark, cherry wood flooring and walls.

"Wow. Nice place, Sakura." Ino whistled. She felt a pair of soft, warm hands rest on her shoulders from behind, pulling gently at her coat, offering to take it. Ino allowed it and took her shoes off at the door.

"Thanks." Ino heard Sakura whisper. Ino turned to take a look at Sakura, and was seized around the waist by a pair of arms Ino was sure could snap her like a twig. "Now, I'm never letting go." Sakura said, resting her chin on Inos shoulder. Ino smiled and returned the hug to the slightly shorter girl, but instead, placing her arms around Sakuras shoulders. They stood there a moment, clasped in each others arms, enjoying each others presence after such a long time.

"You got here right on time." Sakura said breaking the hug, "dinner's ready." She beckoned for Ino to follow her down the hall.

"Ooh, what're...what...what're we h-having?" Ino asked clumsily. She had been admiring Sakuras backside (AN: Her actual backside, not her ass), the delicate curvature where shoulder met neck and how her hips rolled a little from side to side as she walked. Either Sakura didn't notice Inos stumbles, or chose not to say anything about it.

"Mmm. Honey glazed ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans."

"Yum! Sounds good." Ino smiled. They reached a spacious dining room where a long table sat, two plates already laden with food awaited them. They had apparently just been sat out, because steam still wafted from the scrumptious looking dinner. The table places were set up across from each other and on the longer sides of the table, so Ino could have played a game of footsie with Sakura if she was so inclined. They settled down and dug in. The ham was fork-tender, the potatoes were buttery, and the green beans were perfectly seasoned.

"So, how did you come about such a nice pad Sakura?" Ino asked after a few moments. Sakura passed Ino a crystal flute of deep red wine. "I didn't know that Jounin paid so well." Sakura shook her head.

"Jounin doesn't pay well, but S-Ranked ANBU missions do." Ino looked up in surprise, her mouth hanging open and still full of ham and potato.

"You made ANBU?" Ino asked after getting rid of her see-food. Sakura nodded taking up a bite of potatoes. "Wow. A lot's happened in one year, eh?" Afterwards they slipped into easy conversation, reminiscing about old times. They were halfway through a particularly old memory(involving a bumblebee, a scraped knee, and a bad hair day), when Ino froze mid-sentence. Something warm was brushing against the inside of her leg.

"_There's no way. No way Sakura had my idea of a game of footsie!"_ But then her stomach fluttered as the warm something rubbed up and down her leg and she thought, _"Wait...is Sakura playing footsie with me?!? Is she?...No, can't be, Sakura's not a..." _Inos train of thought was halted as Sakura looked at her confusedly and asked what was wrong. Ino didn't answer, but instead began to lean over to look under the table. She expected to see a hastily retreating foot, not a bolt of gray lightning to come streaking at her face.

Ino gave a squeal and toppled backwards in her chair, smacking her head on the floor with a bang.

"Ino!" Sakura jumped up and went around the table to help Ino up. She sounded alarmed, but also half amused.

"What the hell was that?" Ino asked as Sakura helped her to her feet.

"It was just Kaori." Sakura said vanishing into the hallway where the bolt of gray had vanished to. Ino sat her chair back up and Sakura came back into the room, cradling a little gray kitten in her arms.

"Kaori?"

"Yeah, Kaori." Sakura said nuzzling the little kitten. "She's my baby." Ino rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway.

"Oh please, you're gonna make me barf." Ino wiggled a finger at Kaori. The kitten batted at said finger and nipped lightly at the tip causing Ino to smile again.

"Here," Sakura said, gently pressing Kaori into Inos arms, "head into the living room and I'll clean up the plates, unless you weren't done."

"No, no. I'm finished. I think I'd explode if I ate another bite." Ino joked. Sakura gave a bubbly giggle that caused Inos stomach to turn cartwheels. Ino loved how Sakura smiled and laughed and she began wondering why she deprived herself of the things she loved in the first place.

Sakura scooped up the plates and headed for the kitchen while Ino explored the hallway, peeking in through different doorways. Eventually, she came across a room that had to have been the living room. There was a black, stone, fireplace complete with a crackling fire. A Christmas tree stood in one corner, glittering with red and gold ornaments, a small stack of gifts sitting at its base. Squishy looking armchairs dotted the room and parked right in front of the fire was a gorgeous, white, leather couch.

Ino looked down at Kaori and found herself being stared at with stunning green eyes that were frighteningly similar to her masters, Ino found an immediate affections for the little animal.

"I don't know if you're mommy lets you on the couch, so you can sit on my lap." Ino said to Kaori while plopping down on the middle cushion of the couch. Kaori sat, very well-behaved, on Inos lap, looking around and mewling pitifully, obviously wondering where her "mommy" had gone. Ino reached out a finger(that Kaori tried to attack first) and gently scratched under her chin, her mewls were immediately replaced with a contented pur.

A nerve twinged in Inos shoulder and she winced, it had been giving her trouble lately probably from stress, and she rubbed the offending site. She was surprised to find her fingers being brushed away and replaced with two strong, yet soft, hands.

"Right here?" Sakura asked in a whisper almost in Inos ear. Her probing fingers proding the exact spot perfectly.

"Mm-hmm." Ino groaned as chakra filled fingers went to work. Ino tilted her head to the side, allowing Sakura better access. A small sigh passed Inos lips as Sakura molded muscles and skin, undoing knots Ino didn't know she had. Ino allowed her magnificent blonde head to fall back, her eyes half-lidded, looking up at a smiling Sakura.

"Better?" Sakura asked. Ino gave a small exhalation through her nose and smiled.

"Don't think I've ever felt this lose before in my life."

"Oh? Wanna feel looser?" Sakura asked walking around the couch to sit next to Ino and bringing with her a long-necked magnum. "Can I tempt you?" She asked with a near vampiric smile.

"It doesn't take much to tempt me, besides, I'm not one to turn down perfectly good suds." Ino laughed. Sakura took a swig and passed Ino the bottle. Kaori had given a small meow and moved from Inos lap to Sakuras, she rubbed up against Sakuras flat tummy. Ino went to take a drink and nearly choked in surprise.

"Sake?" Ino asked after the taste of piping hot rice wine registered on her tongue. "Never pictured you as a sake kinda girl, Saku." Sakura looked up from her snuggle session with Kaori(who was situated somewhere between Sakuras breasts). _"Damn lucky cat!"_ Ino thought.

"Yeah, I booze it up with sake, but that's about it except wine with dinner." They slipped into silence, quietly passing the sake back and forth. Kaori gave a displeased "Mia", hopped off Sakuras lap, and wandered off in search of something more interesting to do than sit in silence with two drinkers. For about twenty minutes, maybe half an hour, they sat there, not talking, not doing anything but staring at the flame dancing around in the fireplace.

"Ino?" Sakura asked finally.

"Mmm." Ino knew it was coming and she had been dreading this moment ever since she had gotten off the phone with Sakura the previous night.

"Why?" Was all Sakura had to ask, her voice just above a whisper. Ino opened and closed her mouth several times like a fish out of water before she attempted to say anything. She turned to face Sakura, curling one leg up beneath her, Sakura did like-wise.

"Well, it's...difficult to say, other than it was for a really stupid rea-" Ino was cut off halfway when she looked up from her own hands by a soft pair of pink lips.

"_Why can't I kiss her back? This is what I wanted all along, so why can't I kiss her?" _Ino asked herself as Sakuras lips moved across her own, while her hand gently caressed Inos cheek. It only took Sakura a couple of seconds to realize that Ino wasn't participating in the kiss and flinched away as if Ino had slapped her. She closed her eyes, covered her mouth, and turned away.

"I'm sorry." Ino barely heard Sakura whisper. Ino reached out a hand to rest on her shoulder.

"Sakura, I-"

"I'm so sorry." Sakura leapt up and moved to leave the room, but Ino quickly stood, grasping Sakuras wrist.

"Sakura, wait!" Ino cried, stopping her. Sakura stood there in front of Ino quietly, head down, her arms dangling limply. Ino shifted her grasp down from Sakuras wrist to her fingers, squeezing lightly. Ino thought to herself that Sakura looked quite stunning, half of her body was lit with an orange-red glow by the fire and the other half cast in dark shadow.

She thought back to the kiss.

"_Does it mean anything? Does she love me or was it just a moment of drunk stupidity?" _Ino almost started crying then and there as she considered the last possibility, she didn't think she'd be able to live knowing Sakura could never be hers. But even if Sakura did love her, there was no way they could truly be together, Konoha would see to that. They would have to hide it, only able to show affection for one another in their homes.

Ino placed a few fingers under Sakuras chin and gently turned her face up. Slowly, green eyes met blue and Ino could see steady streams of tears leaking from Sakuras eyes. Ino drew the sleeve of her sweater up over her fingers using her teeth and very carefully wiped away the tears, Sakura put up no resistance to keep Ino from touching her.

"What do you mean by it?" Ino asked in a quiet, almost hurt voice. "Are you drunk?" Sakura shook her head. "Then what does it mean?" Ino directed Sakura back to her seat on the couch and sat beside her, waiting for an answer. Sakura looked up at Ino, a mixture of sadness and shame upon her beautiful features.

"I...I think I..." Sakura took a shuddering breath "...I love you." Ino felt her jaw drop for the second time that night.

"F-for how long?"

"I don't know, a long time." Sakura began. " But then you started ignoring me and avoiding me and I thought you had found out and hated me for it. And then...- What's so funny?"

Ino was doubled over, arms around her stomach, tears streaking down her face, laughing! Sakura sat stiffly, arms crossed in front of her chest, wondering what kind of person laughs when a friend reveals their deepest secret to them. After much knee-slapping, side-splitting laughing, Ino was able to calm down, but still retained a very bubbly air.

"Nothing's funny forehead," Ino hiccupped, "nothing about you. It's me."

"Well then, Pig, care to enlighten me?" Sakura asked, reverting to the old childhood taunt. Ino smiled wide and placed an arm around Sakuras shoulders.

"I would love to, forehead." Suddenly, the atmosphere of the room changed from one of hilarity and confusion, to one of seduction and shock. Ino drew Sakura in close while simultaneously leaning in towards Sakuras ear. Gently, Ino took the lobe between her lips and nibbled it briefly. Sakura flinched when Ino worked the tip of her tongue up under the rim of the pinna and ran it all along the outer edge.

"Ino, what are you-" Sakura breathed before Ino placed a finger vertically across her lips, silencing her.

"Shush, forehead." Ino whispered before tracing Sakuras jaw line with kisses. Ino pulled away, but not too far, and looked deep into Sakuras eyes. Sakura was pink in the face.

"You, Ino, you...you're-" Sakura spluttered. Ino smiled and brushed a few stray locks of hair away from Sakuras face.

"Yeah, forehead, I love you too." Ino leaned forward and gently placed her lips against Sakuras. Sakura pressed forward into the kiss, circling her arms around Ino. Even though they kept it dry, their kisses somehow managed to be fiery and passionate, filled with repressed love and desire.

By this point, Ino was lying on her back with Sakura above her and with absolutely no idea as to how she got there.

"This is why - I was avoiding - you." Ino explained in between kisses. "It's because I was - afraid you'd find - out and that you'd - hate me for it." she panted. "But even if you - had returned my love then - you could have lost - everything and you still can. Your spot in ANBU, your - home even." They pulled apart with a wet smacking noise. Sakura looked down on her new found love and ran her fingers through silky blonde hair. "And I know you love being a shinobi, and you want those you love to be happy, right?" Ino continued, caressing Sakuras cheek with the back of her hand.

"I know," Sakura murmured, inches from Inos lips, returning the touch, "but the only way I could ever be truly happy is with you." Now it was Sakuras turn to wipe away Inos tears.

"You're so sweet." Ino said quietly as Sakura brushed away the twin tears from Inos eyes. "And that's why I love you." Ino kissed her softly. "You're sweet, you're cute, you're funny, you're smart..." Ino said kissing Sakura once for each quality.

"You are bold," Sakura kissed Ino, "you're kind, you're brave, and you're beautiful..." Sakura whispered back, copying Ino. When Sakura drew back, Ino could see the lust in her eyes and she knew she held the same light in her eyes that Sakura did. "Do you...wanna stay tonight?" Sakura asked, her lips parted slightly, warm breath striking Inos cheek.

"I would love to forehead." Ino said leaning up to lick Sakuras ear. As Sakura got up and lead Ino upstairs to her bedroom, Ino found herself thinking.

"_I hope Kaori is well adjusted."_

- - -

The next morning when Ino woke up, Sakura was still asleep next to her. The sheets on Sakuras bed were tangled around them both and Ino had a hell of a time freeing herself without waking Sakura. After freeing herself from the bed sheets clutches, Ino began hunting for her clothes. Ino almost gave up on the hunt for her panties before finding them hanging from a lampshade. Ino wrote Sakura a quick note after dressing, apologizing to her for allowing her to wake up alone, but she still had the flower shop to look after. Quietly stealing downstairs, Ino slipped on her coat and let herself out, she was still unable to believe the amount of work her tongue went through last night.

As she pounded down the street, Ino decided that her coat wasn't so bad after all, now that she had a happy memory in it.

"_And maybe," _Ino thought to herself looking up to see an azure sky, _"Christmas isn't so bad either."_

- - -

**Well, that was most certainly the longest chapter to date, it was about 2000 words short of being as long as "Carpe Noctum". It took me about four hours in total to type it all up. I mentioned this before, but school is sadly just around the corner so updates are going to be even less frequent now. As always, reviews are appreciated. You should expect a new update for "Carpe Noctum" sooner than for "Love of Flowers". READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!**

**TTFN!!**


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